Bellis, 17, claims another top-50 victim

CiCi Bellis, shown last July, upset 17th-seeded Yulia Putintseva in the first round
in Dubai. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Despite a late start this season, 17-year-old CiCi Bellis upset another top-50 player today.
   Bellis, a product of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area, surprised 17th-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
   Bellis, the youngest player in the top 100 at No. 70, trailed 5-1 in the second set of the Premier Level tournament on the elite WTA Tour.
   "I think some players, when they are up by a lot like that, they relax a little bit," Bellis told reporters, "so I think that's a good time that you can take advantage of, like, a little bit of a level drop from them."
   Bellis, now based in Orlando, Fla., missed January with strained hamstring and gluteus muscles. She returned to the circuit last week in Doha, losing in the second round of qualifying.
   Putintseva, the runner-up in St. Petersburg three weeks ago, is ranked No. 27. The 5-foot-4 (1.63-meter) Moscow native is the sixth top-50 player Bellis has beaten. Three of them -- Dominika Cibulkova, Shelby Rogers and Zhang Shuai -- have reached the quarterfinals or better in a Grand Slam tournament. Cibulkova and Zhang also were ranked in the top 30 at No. 13 and No. 23, respectively.
   Bellis is scheduled to play Germany's Laura Siegemund, ranked No. 41, for the first time on Tuesday at midnight (California time). Siegemund, who will turn 29 on March 4, edged qualifier Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3) in 2 hours, 57 minutes on Sunday.
   College -- Virginia finally lost a point in the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships.
   No matter. The top-ranked Cavaliers, with junior Collin Altamirano of Sacramento playing No. 1 singles, defeated third-ranked Ohio State 4-1 at home in Charlottesville, Va., for their sixth title in the tournament.
   Virginia (9-0), which appears headed to its third consecutive NCAA title in May, had won its first three dual matches in the National Indoors 4-0.
   The unranked Altamirano lost to second-ranked Mikael Torpegaard, a junior from Denmark, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Torpegaard, who won the $50,000 Columbus (Ohio) Challenger on his home courts in September, is ranked No. 342 in the world. Altamirano, the runner-up in last month's $25,000 Long Beach Futures, is No. 813.
   Today's dual match was closer than the score indicated. Ohio State (12-1) was on the verge of closing out matches and No. 3 and No. 5 singles when Virginia's J.C. Aragone edged Herkko Pollanen 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) at No. 4 to clinch the overall victory.

Novikov falls in semis; Altamirano leads Virginia

Dennis Novikov, serving in doubles at the U.S. Open
last September, lost to Tennys Sandgren in the semi-
finals of the $75,000 Tempe (Ariz.) Challenger.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   The singles champion of the $75,000 Tempe (Ariz.) Challenger still hasn't been decided.
   But it won't be Dennis Novikov.
   The 23-year-old resident of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area lost to compatriot Tennys Sandgren 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in today's semifinals.
   The unseeded Sandgren, 25, blasted 16 aces, committed four double faults and saved eight of 12 break points against him. The seventh-seeded Novikov had four aces and one double fault. He survived eight of 14 break points.
   Novikov ousted top-seeded Ernesto Escobedo of West Covina in the Los Angeles region in the quarterfinals.
   The Sandgren-Novikov match was delayed for several hours and suspended briefly early in the third set because of rain, forcing the final to be postponed until Monday. Sandgren, 25, will play unseeded Serbian Nikola Milojevic, who beat sixth-seeded Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia 7-6 (3), 6-4.
   College -- No. 1-ranked Virginia, led by Collin Altamirano of Sacramento and playing at home, crushed No. 5 North Carolina 4-0 to reach the final of the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va.
   The two-time defending NCAA champion Cavaliers have shut out all three of their opponents in the tournament.
   Altamirano, a junior, dominated 16th-ranked Ronnie Schneider 6-0, 6-3 on Court 1 as Virginia avenged a 4-2 loss to the Tar Heels in last year's final. Altamirano also won at No. 3 doubles with J.C. Aragone.
   Although Altamirano is unranked in college, he's No. 813 in the world after reaching the quarterfinals and final in back-to-back $25,000 tournaments in Southern California last month.
   Virginia (8-0) will play No. 3-ranked Ohio State (12-0) for the title. Second-ranked Mikael Torpegaard lifted the Buckeyes to a 4-3 victory over No. 2 Wake Forest by edging top-ranked Petros Chrysochos 7-6 (6), 5-7, 7-6 (4) on Court 1.

Virginia advances in Indoors; rain hits 75K Tempe

Sacramento's Collin Altamirano, shown in 2014, plays
No. 1 singles for top-ranked Virginia. The Cavaliers,
who have won the last two NCAA titles, beat co-No. 7
UCLA in the quarterfinals of the ITA Nationl Men's
Team Indoor Championships. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The Virginia and UCLA men's teams are both ranked in the top 10 with a Northern Californian in the singles lineup.
   But it was no contest when the No. 1 Cavaliers and the co-No. 7 Bruins met today in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships. Virginia, the host and two-time defending NCAA champion, routed UCLA 4-0 in Charlottesville, Va.
   The Cavaliers' Collin Altamirano, a junior from Sacramento, and the Bruins' Logan Staggs, a 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter) junior from Tracy, trailed when their matches were abandoned. Martin Redlicki, ranked 73rd, led Altamirano 6-3, 4-2 on Court 1, and Alexander Ritschard was ahead of Staggs 7-5, 1-1 on Court 5.
   Altamirano won in doubles on Court 3 with J.C. Aragone. Staggs did not play doubles.
   Virginia will face defending champion and No. 5-ranked North Carolina, which defeated No. 4 Cal 4-2, in a rematch of last year's final.
   Bears junior Billy Griffith, a Fresno resident ranked 40th, lost to Robert Kelly 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Court 4 but won in doubles with Andre Goransson on Court 2. Cal's J.T. Nishimura, a junior from San Jose, trailed in doubles on Court 3 with Bjorn Hoffmann when their match was abandoned. Nishimura did not play singles.
   Men's Challenger -- Rain wiped out play in the $75,000 Tempe (Ariz.) Challenger. The singles semifinals and final and the doubles final are scheduled for Sunday.
   In the first singles semifinal, No. 7 seed Dennis Novikov of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area will meet unseeded countryman Tennys Sandgren for the first time. After the doubles final, sixth-seeded Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia will play unseededNikola Milojevic of Serbia.
   Novikov ousted No. 1 seed Ernesto Escobedo of West Covina in the Los Angeles area in the quarterfinals.

Novikov upsets top seed; Virginia, Cal advance

Dennis Novikov, shown in 2015, ousted top seed
Ernesto Escobedo today in the quarterfinals of the
$75,000 Tempe (Ariz.) Challenger. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   No. 7 seed Dennis Novikov of Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area knocked off No. 1 Ernesto Escobedo of West Covina in the Los Angeles region 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-4 today in the quarterfinals of the $75,000 Tempe (Ariz.) Challenger.
   Novikov, 23, saved both break points against him, blasted 10 aces and committed only one double fault. Escobedo, 20, had 13 aces and eight double faults.
   Novikov, ranked No. 179, will meet unseeded countryman Tennys Sandgren, ranked No. 198, for the first time on Saturday. Sandgren, 25, ousted No. 5 seed Marco Trungelliti of Argentina 6-3, 7-5.  
   In the other semifinal, sixth-seeded Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia will play unseeded Nikola Milojevic of Serbia.
   Denys Molchanov of Ukraine and Novikov, seeded first in doubles, lost to unseeded Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Jose Hernandez-Fernandez of the Dominican Republic 2-6, 6-3 [12-10] in the semifinals.
   College -- No. 1 seed and host Virginia, the two-time defending NCAA champion, blitzed No. 16 Utah State 4-0 in the first round of the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va.
   Collin Altamirano, a junior from Sacramento, led Jack Swindells 6-1, 4-3 on Court 1 when the match was abandoned. Altamirano and J.C. Aragone won in doubles on Court 3.
   The Cavaliers will play No. 8 UCLA, which edged No. 9 USC 4-3, in Saturday's quarterfinals. The Bruins' Logan Staggs, a junior from Tracy, lost to 119th-ranked Jack Jaede of the Trojans on Court 5 to tie the score 3-3. Martin Redlicki, ranked 73rd, won the deciding match on Court 1. Staggs did not play doubles.
   No. 4 Cal, with Billy Griffith of Fresno and J.T. Nishimura of San Jose, beat No. 13 Baylor 4-2. Griffth, ranked 40th, routed Jimmy Bendeck 6-1, 6-2 on Court 4. Nishimura lost to Constantin Frantzen 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Court 6. Griffith won on Court 2 in doubles, but Nishimura lost on Court 3.
   The Bears will face No. 4 seed and defending champion North Carolina, which topped No. 12 Georgia 4-2.
   In the ITA National Women's Indoor Championships in New Haven, Conn., No. 1 seed Florida  defeated North Carolina 4-2 on Monday for the title. No. 7 Cal lost to the Tar Heels 4-2 in the quarterfinals.
   Texas Tech's Felicity Maltby, a sophomore from Sunnyvale, was named to the all-tournament team at No. 3 doubles with junior Gabriela Talaba. They went 2-0.

Bellis, 17, cracks top 100 with title; Ahn falls in final

Atherton's CiCi Bellis, shown in the U.S. Open in Sept-
ember, jumped 11 places to No. 90 in the world with
her second straight title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   CiCi Bellis, a 17-year-old San Francisco Bay Area product, on Sunday became by far the youngest player ranked among the top 100 women in the world.
   Bellis, who turned pro on Sept. 13 after reaching the third round of the U.S. Open as a qualifier, jumped 11 places to No. 90 with her second straight title in a $50,000 Canadian indoor hardcourt tournament.
   The top-seeded Bellis, from Atherton, beat fourth-seeded Jesika Maleckova, a 22-year-old Czech, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to win the Tevlin Challenger in Toronto.
   "It means everything to me," Bellis, who also won the Saguenay Challenger two weeks ago, told Tennis Canada. "This has been the best year of my life and the best couple tournaments of my life. I've never been happier."
   After defeating Usue Maitane Arconada, 18, of the United States 6-4, 6-2 in the first round, Bellis won her last four matches in three sets.
   Bellis is 15 months younger than the next youngest player in the top 100, No. 48 Ana Konjuh of Croatia. Konjuh, who reached the U.S. Open quarterfinalist in September, will turn 19 on Dec. 27.
   Bellis will gain direct entry into the Australian Open in January. It will be her first appearance in the tournament.
   Meanwhile, former Stanford star Kristie Ahn of Upper Saddle River, N.J., lost to Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) in the final of the $50,000 Copperwynd Women's Pro Challenge in Scottsdale, Ariz. Both players were unseeded.
   The 5-foot-5 (1.66-meter) Ahn, 24, led by a break in both sets against the 20-year-old left-hander, who did not lose a set in the tournament.
   Haddad Maia ousted top-seeded Nicole Gibbs in the second round and U.S. phenom Kayla Day in the semifinals. Gibbs and Ahn led Stanford to the 2013 NCAA team title. Day, a 17-year-old left-hander, won the $50,000 Macon (Ga.) Challenger the week before Scottsdale.
   Ahn now must win this week's $50,000 Waco (Texas) Challenger to overtake Day in the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.
   In Flushing, N.Y., No. 1 seed Francesca Di Lorenzo of Ohio State won the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships for the second straight year.
   Di Lorenzo, a sophomore, pounded fourth-seeded Hayley Carter of North Carolina 6-1, 6-1 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the site of the U.S. Open.
   Seventh-seeded Michael Redlicki of Arkansas won the men's crown, surprising top-seeded Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State 6-4, 6-3.
   The doubles titles went to second-seeded Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim of Wake Forest on the men's side and unseeded Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi of Kentucky on the women's side. Seraphim is 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters).

NorCal brothers fall in Nat'l Indoor doubles semis

   Columbia's Richard and Victor Pham, brothers from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost to wild cards Jeffrey Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt of Valparaiso in Indiana 7-6 (8), 6-3 on Saturday in the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y.
   Schorsch and Emhardt, who ousted top-seeded Filip Bergevi and Florian Lakat of Cal in the second round, will face second-seeded Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim of Wake Forest for the men's doubles title today at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center not before 8 a.m. PST.
   Seraphim, a junior from Germany, is 6-foot-10 (2.08 meters). Mansouri, a junior from Tunisia, is 6-foot-3 (1.90 meters).
   Today's other finals:
   --No. 1 seed Mikael Torpegaard, who won the $50,000 Columbus Challenger on his home courts at Ohio State in September, vs. No. 7 Michael Redlicki of Arkansas in men's singles not before 8 a.m.
   --No. 1 seed and defending champion Francesco Di Lorenzo of Ohio State vs. No. 4 Hayley Carter of North Carolina in women's singles at 7 a.m.
   --Kentucky's Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi, last year's runners-up to Carter and Whitney Kay, vs. UCLA wild cards Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara, this year's U.S. Open girls doubles champions, in women's doubles at 7 a.m.
   All matches will be streamed live.

Cal's Lakat loses heartbreaker in National Indoors

Cal's Florian Lakat, serving in doubles in last
year's Tiburon Challenger, lost in the second
round of singles in the National Indoors on
Friday. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Cal's three remaining singles players lost to seeds on Friday in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
   But Florian Lakat put up a tremendous fight on the men's side.
   Lakat, a senior from France, lost to fourth-seeded Nuno Borges of Mississippi State 6-7 (8), 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the second round at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
   Borges, a sophomore from Portugal, then managed to beat Skander Mansouri of Wake Forest 7-5, 6-1 to reach the semifinals.
   In the second round of women's singles, top seed and defending champion Francesca Di Lorenzo of Ohio State beat Cal's Karla Popovic, a junior from Croatia, 6-0, 6-4.
   Also, fourth-seeded Hayley Carter of North Carolina dismissed Cal's Maegan Manasse, a senior from Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles area, 6-2, 6-2.
   Di Lorenzo and Carter, the runner-up to Danielle Collins of Virginia in the NCAA Championships in May in Tulsa, Okla., then advanced to the semis.
   Manasse, the 2014 runner-up to Julia Elbaba of Virginia in the National Indoors, has missed most of the fall season with a nagging elbow injury.
   Columbia's Richard Pham and Victor Pham, brothers from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, reached the men's doubles semifinals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Morgan Mays and Simon Freund of UC Santa Barbara.
   Richard Pham, a senior, and Victor Pham, a sophomore, will face Valparaiso's Jeffrey Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt, who upset top-seeded Lakat and Filip Bergevi in the second round.

Cal players advance in National Indoors

Cal's Maegan Manasse, playing in the qualifying event of the $50,000 Sacramento
Challenger in July, beat Kate Fahey of Michigan 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday in the first
round of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flush-
ing N.Y. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Three Cal players, one man and two women, won Thursday in the first round of singles in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
  On the men's side, senior Florian Lakat of France defeated Jolan Cailleau of Texas Tech 6-3, 6-3. Cal's Andre Goransson, last year's runner-up, and Stanford's Tom Fawcett lost to seeds.
   In the women's draw, senior Maegan Manasse from Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles area beat Kate Fahey of Michigan 6-1, 6-4, and junior Karla Popovic of Croatia topped Ingrid Gamarra Martins of South Carolina 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
   Lakat, Manasse and Popovic are scheduled to face seeds today in the second round. Lakat will meet No. 4 Nuno Borges of Mississippi State, Manasse will play No. 4 Hayley Carter of North Carolina, and Popovic will take on No. 1 seed and defending champion Francesca Di Lorenzo of Ohio State.
   Manasse, the 2014 runner-up, has missed most of the fall season with a nagging elbow injury. Carter was the runner-up to Danielle Collins of Virginia in the NCAA Championships in May.  
   Columbia's Richard Pham and Victor Pham, brothers from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, reached the men's doubles quarterfinals. But top-seeded Filip Bergevi and Lakat lost to Jeffrey Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt of Valparaiso 7-5, 4-6 [11-9] in the second round.
   In women's doubles, third-seeded Manasse and Denise Starr lost to Alabama's Andie Daniell and Erin Routliffe 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.
   Routliffe, a senior from Canada, won the 2014 and 2015 NCAA doubles title with Maya Jansen, who now plays for Cal as a graduate student. Jansen, however, is not playing in the National Indoors.
   Also falling in the second round of women's doubles Thursday were Popovic and Olivia Hauger.

No. 2 Oklahoma tops No. 1 USC for Indoor title

   Avenging its loss to USC in last year's NCAA final, No. 2 Oklahoma defeated the No. 1 Trojans 4-2 today in Chicago for its first title in the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship.
   No. 63 Alex Ghilea provided the clincher, beating Max de Vroome 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on Court 5. De Vroome gave USC a 4-2 victory in the NCAA final by outlasting Andrew Harris 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Court 4.
   Harris won the 2012 Wimbledon and French Open junior boys doubles title with fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios, who has soared to 37th in the men's world rankings at 19 years old. Harris now plays No. 1 singles as a sophomore.
   USC's Connor Farren, a sophomore from Foster City in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost at No. 3 doubles with Nick Crystal. Farren did not play singles.
   John Roddick, Andy's older brother, is in his sixth season as Oklahoma's coach.

No. 2 Oklahoma 4, No. 1 USC 2

Doubles

   1. No. 5 Axel Alvarez and Dane Webb (Oklahoma) def. No. 1 Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz, 7-6 (4).
   2. No. 38 Max de Vroome and Eric Johnson (USC) def. Andrew Harris and Spencer Papa, 6-1.
   3. Jose Salazar and Alex Ghilea (Oklahoma) def. Nick Crystal and Connor Farren, 7-5.
   Order of finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles

   1. No. 7 Yannick Hanfmann (USC) vs. No. 26 Andrew Harris, 4-6, 6-4, 4-4, did not finish.
   2. No. 11 Axel Alvarez (Oklahoma) def. No. 24 Roberto Quiroz, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
   3. No. 31 Dane Webb (Oklahoma) def. No. 20 Jonny Wang, 6-0, 6-4.
   4. Eric Johnson (USC) def. Spencer Papa, 6-4, 6-1.
   5. No. 63 Alex Ghilea (Oklahoma) def. Max de Vroome, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
   6. No. 49 Nick Crystal (USC) def. Jose Salazar, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
   Order of finish: 3, 4, 2, 6, 5*
   *Clinched overall match

Farren, No. 1 USC reach National Indoor final

   The ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships has its dream final.
   Top-ranked USC, with Connor Farren from the San Francisco Bay Area, will face No. 2 Oklahoma today in a rematch of last year's NCAA final. The Trojans won 4-2 for their fifth title in six years.
   On Sunday in Chicago, USC (9-0) outclassed No. 4 Georgia 4-1, and Oklahoma (9-0) topped No. 10 Baylor 4-2.
   Farren, a sophomore from Foster City, lost at No. 3 doubles (with Nick Crystal) in his only action.
   No. 63 Alex Ghilea clinched the match for Oklahoma, winning the last 11 games in a 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 decision over Mate Zsiga at No. 5.
   Meanwhile, No. 3 Virginia and No. 13 Cal completed play with consolation victories.
   The Cavaliers (7-1), featuring freshman Collin Altamirano of Sacramento, routed No. 7 North Carolina 4-0. The Bears (7-2), with freshmen Billy Griffith of Fresno and JT Nishimura of San Jose, defeated No. 22 Penn State 4-2.
   Altamirano won at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles. Griffith lost at No. 3 singles, but Nishimura triumphed at No. 4. Neither played doubles.

No. 1 USC 4, No. 4 Georgia 1

Doubles

   1. Austin Smith and Ben Wagland (Georgia) def. No. 1 Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz, 6-4.
   2. No. 38 Max de Vroome and Eric Johnson (USC) vs. Nathan Pasha and Eric Diaz, 5-5, suspended.
   3. Paul Ooosterbaan and Wayne Montgomery (Georgia) def. Nick Crystal and Connor Farren, 6-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 1.

Singles

   1. No. 17 Wayne Montgomery (Georgia) vs. No. 7 Yannick Hanfmann, 6-4, 3-6, 4-1, suspended.
   2. No. 24 Roberto Quiroz (USC) def. No. 21 Austin Smith, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
   3. No. 15 Nathan Pasha (Georgia) vs. No. 20 Jonny Wang, 3-6, 6-2, 3-3, suspended.
   4. Eric Johnson (USC) def. Nick Wood, 6-1, 6-1.
   5. Max de Vroome (USC) def. Ben Wagland, 7-5, 6-1.
   6. No. 49 Nick Crystal (USC) def. Paul Oosterbaan, 6-2, 6-3.
   Order of finish: 4, 6, 5, 2.

Altamirano wins, but Virginia falls at Indoors

   Here's how loaded the University of Virginia men are: Top-ranked Thai-Son Kwiatkowski played No. 3 singles against Baylor on Saturday. And Collin Altamirano, a freshman from Sacramento who won the USTA 18 national title in 2013 and reached last year's final, played No. 4.
   Still, the third-ranked Cavaliers lost to No. 11 Baylor 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Chicago. The Bears will take on No. 2 Oklahoma today, and No. 1 USC will meet No. 4 Georgia in the other semifinal.
   Virginia (6-1) will face No. 7 North Carolina in a consolation match. No. 13 Cal (6-2), which lost to No. 15 Columbia 4-3 in a consolation quarterfinal, will play No. 22 Penn State.
   Altamirano overwhelmed Diego Galeano 6-1, 6-2 but lost at No. 3 doubles with Mitchell Frank, 6-3. Kwiatkowski fell to No. 27 Tony Lupieri 6-4, 7-6 (10).
   Mate Zsiga gave Baylor the victory by defeating Alexander Ritschard 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 5.
   No. 10 Julian Lenz of Baylor humbled Frank, unranked only because he has been playing in professional instead of college tournaments, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1. 
   Frank won two Futures tournaments last summer, beating former world No. 1 junior Yuki Bhambri for the title in Edwardsville, Ill. Bhambri was ranked No. 152 among the world's men at the time.
   In 2013, Frank clinched Virginia's only NCAA team title in men's tennis with a 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over UCLA's Adrien Puget at No. 3, saving a championship point. 

No. 11 Baylor 4, No. 3 Virginia 3

Doubles

   1. No. 37 Luca Corinteli and Ryan Shane (Virginia) vs. No. 40 Mate Zsiga and Tony Lupieri, 6-6, did not finish.
   2. Julian Lenz and Diego Galeano (Baylor) def. No. 41 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and Mac Styslinger, 7-6 (2). 
   3. Vince Schneider and Felipe Rios (Baylor) def. Collin Altamirano and Mitchell Frank, 6-3.
   Order of finish: 3, 2*.
   *Clinched the doubles point.

Singles

   1. No. 10 Julian Lenz (Baylor) def. Mitchell Frank, 6-2, 6-0.
   2. No. 4 Ryan Shane (Virginia) def. No. 67 Max Tchoutakian, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
   3. No. 27 Tony Lupieri (Baylor) def. No. 1 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, 6-4, 7-6 (10).
   4. Collin Altamirano (Virginia) def. Diego Galeano, 6-1, 6-2.
   5. Mate Zsiga (Baylor) def. Alexander Ritschard, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
   6. J.C. Aragone (Virginia) def. Vince Schneider, 6-3, 6-4.
   Order of finish: 1, 4, 6, 2, 3, 5**.
   **Clinched the overall match.

No. 13 Cal men shut out in National Indoors

   The 13th-ranked Cal men lost to No. 5 Illinois 4-0 on Friday in the first round of the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship in Chicago.
   The University of Illinois is a two-hour drive south from Chicago.
   Cal freshmen Billy Griffith of Fresno and J.T. Nishimura of San Jose lost in straight sets at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively.
   The Bears (6-1) will play Columbia in the consolation bracket today at 4:30 p.m. PST.
   Meanwhile, No. 3 Virginia routed No. 17 Texas Christian 4-0. Cavaliers freshman Collin Altamirano of Sacramento won at No. 3 doubles with Mitchell Frank but did not play singles.
   Virginia (6-0) will meet No. 10 Baylor (5-1) today in the quarterfinals. The Bears upset No. 6 Duke 4-1.

No. 5 Illinois 4, No. 13 Cal 0
Doubles

   1. No. 11 Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon (Illinois) def. No. 30 Gregory Bayane and Chase Melton, 6-3.
   2. Jared Hiltzik and Farris Goesa (Illinois) def. No. 32 Andre Goransson and Oskar Wikberg, 7-6 (3).
   3. Filip Bergevi and Mads Engsted (Cal) def. Blaker Bazarnik and Brian Page, 6-3.
   Order of finish: 3, 1,  2*.
   *Clinched the doubles point.

Singles

   1. No. 41 Farris Gosea (Illinois) vs. No. 42 Andre Goransson, abandoned.
   2. No. 23 Jared Hiltzik (Illinois) vs. No. 114 Filip Bergevi, abandoned.
   3. No. 37 Tim Kopinski (Illinois) def. Billy Griffith, 6-3, 6-4.
   4. No. 69 Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. J.T. Nishimura, 7-5, 6-1.
   5. No. 46 Aleks Vukic (Illinois) def. Oskar Wikberg, 6-1, 6-4.
   6. Toshiki Matsuya (Illinois) vs. Gregory Bayane, abandoned.
   Order of finish: 5, 3, 4**.
   **Clinched the overall match.

North Carolina women win National Indoors

   The North Carolina women won their second ITA National Team Indoor Championship in three years on Monday, overwhelming Georgia 4-1 on Monday in Charlottesville, Va.
   In the clinching match, 22nd-ranked Caroline Price outlasted Kennedy Shaffer 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 at No. 3 singles. In last year's NCAA team final, Price lost the clinching match at No. 3 singles in the Tar Heels' 4-3 loss to UCLA.
   At No. 1 singles on Monday, eighth-ranked Jamie Loeb of North Carolina led No. 19 Lauren Herring 6-2, 5-7, 3-1 when Price clinched.
   Loeb, a sophomore from Ossining, N.Y., who trains at the Manhattan-based John McEnroe Tennis Academy, reached the quarterfinals of the Sacramento Challenger last July. She upset second-seeded An-Sophie Mestach, a Belgian ranked No. 146 in the world at the time, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round.
   North Carolina (9-0) is ranked third nationally, and Georgia (6-3) is ninth. The Bulldogs defeated No. 5 Cal 4-2 in the Indoor semifinals.

No. 3 North Carolina 4, No. 9 Georgia 1

Doubles

   1. No. 13 Ashley Dai and Kate Vialle (NC) vs. Lauren Herring and Ellen Perez, 4-4, unfinished.
   2. Jamie Loeb and Caroline Price (NC) def. Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer, 6-2.
   3. Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay (NC) def. Caroline Brinson and Hannah King (Georgia), 6-2.
   Order of finish: 3, 2.

Singles

   1. No. 8 Jamie Loeb (NC) vs. No. 19 Lauren Herring, 6-2, 5-7, 3-1, unfinished.
   2. No. 31 Hayley Carter (NC) def. Ellen Perez, 6-3, 6-4.
   3. No. 22 Caroline Price (NC) def. Kennedy Shaffer, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5.
   4. Whitney Kay (NC) def. No. 83 Silvia Garcia, 6-4, 6-3.
   5. No. 91 Hannah King (Georgia) vs. Ashley Dai, 6-4, 4-6, 5-2, unfinished.
   6. Caroline Brinson (Georgia) def. Kate Vialle, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. 
   Order of finish: 2, 4, 6, 3.

Cal women lose in semis of National Indoors

   Ninth-ranked Georgia defeated No. 5 Cal 4-2 on Sunday in the semifinals of the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship in Charlottesville, Va.
   Hannah King won the deciding match at No. 5 singles, beating 30th-ranked Karla Popovic 7-5, 6-3 as Call fell to 4-1 this season.
   Georgia (6-2) will play No. 3 North Carolina (8-0) today for the title. The Tar Heels routed No. 2 Florida 4-0.

No. 9 Georgia 4, No. 5 Cal 2

Doubles

   1. No. 4 Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr (Cal) def. Lauren Herring and Ellen Perez, 6-3.
   2. Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer (Georgia) def. No. 9 Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi, 6-3.
   3. Caroline Brinson and Hannah King (Georgia) def. Stephane Lin and Karla Popovic, 6-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*.
   *Clinched the doubles point

Singles

   1. No. 5 Maegan Manasse (Cal) vs. No. 19 Lauren Herring, abandoned.
   2. No. 78 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. Ellen Perez, 6-2, 6-2.
   3. Kennedy Shaffer (Georgia) def. No. 14 Zsofi Susanyi, 6-3, 6-4.
   4. No. 64 Denise Starr (Cal) def. Silvia Garcia, 6-3, 7-5.
   5. Hannah King (Georgia) def. No. 30 Karla Popovic, 7-5, 6-3.
   6. Caroline Brinson (Georgia) def. Cecilia Estlander, 6-2, 6-4.
   Order of finish: 2, 3, 6, 4, 5*.
   *Clinched the overall match    

Cal women reach semis at National Indoors

  The fifth-ranked Cal women defeated No. 20 Texas Christian 4-1 on Saturday to reach the semifinals of the ITA National Women's Indoor Championship in Charlottesville, Va.
   Zsofi Susanyi, a senior from Hungary, clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Sofiko Kadzhaya at No. 3 singles.
   Cal (4-0) will meet No. 9 Georgia (5-2) today at 9 a.m. PST.  The Bulldogs upset top-ranked UCLA 4-2.
   In the other semifinal at 12:30 p.m., No. 2 Florida (5-0) will face No. 3 North Carolina (6-0). 

No. 5 Cal 4, No. 20 Texas Christian 1

Doubles

   1. No. 4 Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr (Cal) def. Stefanie Tan and Seda Arantekin, 7-5.
   2. No. 9 Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Simona Parajova and Sofiko Kadzhaya, 6-4.
   3. Palina Dubavets and Alexis Pereira (TCU) def. Cecilia Estlander and Karla Popovic, 6-3.
   Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*.
   *Clinched the doubles point

Singles

   1. No. 5 Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. Stefanie Tan, 6-3, 6-3.
   2. Simona Parajova (TCU) def. No. 78 Klara Fabikova, 6-3, 6-1.
   3. No. 14 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Sofiko Kadzhaya, 6-3, 6-4.
   4. No. 64 Denise Starr (Cal) vs. Palina Dubavets, abandoned.
   5. No. 30 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Alexis Pereira, 7-5, 6-3.
   6. Cecilia Estlander (Cal) vs. Seda Arantekin, abandoned.
   Order of finish: 2, 1, 5, 3*.
   *Clinched the overall match      

Cal women stage big rally in National Indoors

   The fifth-ranked Cal women rallied from a 3-0 deficit to stun No. 11 Vanderbilt 4-3 on Friday in the opening round of 16 at the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship in Charlottesville, Va.
   Cecilia Estlander, a senior from Finland, defeated Georgina Sellyn 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6 singles in the deciding match.
   Cal (3-0) will play No. 20 TCU (4-1) today at 12:30 p.m. PST in the quarterfinals. The Horned Frogs upset fourth-ranked Duke, the defending champion, 4-3.

No. 5 Cal 4, No. 11 Vanderbilt 3

Doubles

   1. No. 32 Courtney Colton and Sydney Campbell (Vanderbilt) def. No. 4 Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr 7-6 (5).
   2. No. 9 Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Ashleigh Antal and Marie Casares 6-2.
   3. Frances Altick and Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) def. Cecilia Estlander and Karla Popovic 6-0.
   Order of finish: 3, 2, 1*.
   *Clinched the doubles point

Singles

   1. No. 5 Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. No. 15 Sydney Campbell 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
   2. No. 78 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. Courtney Colton 6-4, 7-5.
   3. No. 14 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Frances Altick 6-4, 6-3.
   4. Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) def. No. 64 Denise Starr 6-3, 7-5.
   5. No. 77 Marie Casares (Vanderbilt) def. No. 30 Karla Popovic 6-4, 6-2.
   6. Cecilia Estlander (Cal) def. Georgina Sellyn 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.
   Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2, 6*.
   *Clinched the overall match      

Manasse of Cal falls in National Indoor final

Julia Elbaba of Virginia receives her trophy from former New
York Mayor David Dinkins. Also shown is Intercollegiate Tennis
Association executive director David Benjamin. Photo courtesy
of International Tennis Association

   For the second time this year, a Cal woman lost to a University of Virginia player in a national final.
   Sixth-seeded Julia Elbaba of Virginia beat unseeded Maegan Manasse of Cal 6-2, 7-5 today to win the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   In May, the Cavaliers' Danielle Collins defeated the Bears' Lynn Chi for the NCAA title.
   Elbaba, a junior from Oyster Bay, N.Y., is ranked fifth nationally. Manasse, a sophomore from Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles area, is 43rd.
   Elbaba eliminated Cal's Zsofi Susanyi, an NCAA semifinalist as a freshman in 2012, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round and top-seeded and top-ranked Jamie Loeb of North Carolina 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
   Manasse had not faced a seed in the tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the home of the U.S. Open.
   In other finals:
   --Brayden Schnur of North Carolina defeated Gonzales Austin of Vanderbilt 6-4, 7-6 (2) in men's singles. Both players were unseeded.
   --Top-seeded Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz of reigning NCAA champion USC outplayed unseeded Ross Guignon and Tim Kopinsky of Illinois 6-3, 7-5 in men's doubles.
   --Unseeded Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips of NCAA champion UCLA upset second-seeded Pleun Burgmans and Emily Flickinger of Auburn 6-2, 6-3 in women's doubles.    

Cal's Manasse to play for National Indoor title

   Fifth-seeded Maegan Manasse of Cal topped unseeded Stephanie Wagner of Miami 6-3, 7-6 (4) today to reach the final of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Manasse, a sophomore from Redondo Beach in the Los Angeles area, has not lost a set in her four matches. All have been against unseeded players.
   Wagner, ranked 18th, dispatched second-seeded Chanelle Van Nguyen of NCAA champion UCLA 6-2, 6-2 in the second round and NCAA singles runner-up Lynn Chi of Cal 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
   Manasse will play sixth-seeded Julia Elbaba of Virginia in Sunday's final at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the home of the U.S. Open. Elbaba is ranked fifth and Manasse 43rd.
   Elbaba, a junior from Oyster Bay, N.Y., outplayed fourth-seeded Brooke Austin of Florida 6-2, 6-4.
   Elbaba eliminated Cal's Zsofi Susanyi, an NCAA semifinalist as a freshman in 2012, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round and top-seeded and top-ranked Jamie Loeb of North Carolina 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
   In the men's final, Brayden Schnur of North Carolina will face Gonzales Austin of Vanderbilt. Both players are unseeded, but Schnur is ranked seventh and Austin ninth.
   UCLA's Mackenzie McDonald, a sophomore from Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Martin Redlicki lost to Ross Guignon and Tim Kopinski of Illinois 6-3, 3-6 [10-7] in a battle of unseeded teams in the doubles semifinals. 

Nishikori to face Djokovic in Basel semifinals

   So, coaching guru Brad Gilbert, got any advice for Kei Nishikori entering his match today against Novak Djokovic?
   Play out of your mind?
   Grow three inches and put on 25 pounds?
   Hope Djokovic sprains his ankle getting out of his courtesy car?
   Pray a lot?
   Nishikori, a wild card coached by San Rafael's Gilbert, outlasted lucky loser Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours, 40 minutes to reach the semifinals of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors in Basel. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Nishikori will take on the top-ranked Djokovic, who beat Marcos Baghdatis 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
   In the other semifinal, third-seeded Roger Federer will face fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer, a four-time champion of his hometown tournament, improved to
21-2 against seventh-seeded Andy Roddick with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
   Nishikori, 21, is having the best year of his career. The highest-ranked Japanese player in history at No. 32, he has reached three semifinals in his last four tournaments.
  "It's a great feeling to reach three semifinals in six weeks," Nishikori said on the ATP World Tour's Web site. "I knew it was going to be a tough week. Beating Tomas Berdych in the first round and getting to the semifinals has been a great experience."
   Djokovic, of course, is having one of the greatest years in tennis history. He's
67-3 with three Grand Slam titles -- the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open -- and 10 overall.

   "Djokovic is playing unbelievable this year," Nishikori said. "He doesn't have many weaknesses, so I will need to play a bit more aggressive than usual and play my best tennis to beat him."

   Good luck with that, Kei. 

   Djokovic is 1-0 against Nishikori, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of last year's French Open.

   Today's match will be televised live on Tennis Channel at 6:30 a.m. PDT.

   Querrey loses -- Unseeded Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, lost to sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open.

   The 6-6 Querrey reached the semifinals of the Sacramento Challenger and the final of the Tiburon Challenger last month, falling to 6-10 Ivo Karlovic each time.

   Top seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan reached the doubles semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over unseeded Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek.

    Ilyushin advances -- Artem Ilyushin, a Mississippi State senior from the swanky Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, brushed aside Peter Heller 6-2, 6-2 in a quarterfinal matchup of unseeded players in the $10,000 Bluewater Bay Professional Tournament in Niceville, Fla. 

   Cal's Juricova upset -- Washington's Denise Dy, a San Jose resident seeded 5-8, ousted Cal's Jana Juricova, the top seed and reigning NCAA champion, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

   Dy will meet unseeded Marta Lesniak of SMU in the semifinals. Lesniak surprised fourth-seeded Mallory Burdette of Stanford 6-3, 6-1.

   In the other semifinal, second-seeded Nicole Gibbs of Stanford will face Joanna Mather of Florida.

   Burdette and Gibbs, meanwhile, reached the doubles semifinals as the top seeds.

   The only Bay Area player in the men's singles field, unseeded Ryan Thacher of Stanford, lost in the second round to fifth-seeded Henrique Cunha of Duke 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. 

   However, fourth-seeded Nick Andrews and Christoffer Konigsfeldt of Cal will play second-seeded Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola of Ohio State today in the doubles semifinals. Andrews lives in the Sacramento suburb of Folsom.